Archived: Scope Inclusion North London

Updated 27 October 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 10 September 2015. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the office. Three inspectors and an expert by experience with expertise in learning disabilities conducted the inspection. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including people’s feedback and notifications of significant events affecting the service.

We spoke with seven staff including the registered manager, the manager at the supported house and the office administrator. We gained feedback from seven relatives of people who used the service. We also gained feedback from health and social care professionals who were involved with the service as well as commissioners.

We reviewed care eleven records, five staff files as well as policies and procedures relating to the service.

Updated 27 October 2015

We carried out an announced inspection on the 10 September 2015. The last inspection of this service was carried out on 14 May 2014 and all the regulations we inspected were met.

Scope Inclusion North London provides personal care and befriending support for children and adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. Forty two children living in their own homes and three adults were being supported in a shared house at the time of our visit.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We could not always evidence that training identified for staff was completed. Staff training records did not always reflect the training that staff had undertaken with other organisation.

Support staff did not always receive regular supervision and appraisal from senior staff or the registered manager.

We could not evidence that effective systems were in place to ensure spot checks on staff practice were being conducted regularly.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

There were detailed generic risk assessments in place; however the generic risk assessments could make the person less safe if a care worker followed them instead of a more person specific assessment.

We recommend that, where appropriate, risk assessments are personalised to ensure that they meet people’s needs.

There were suitable arrangements in place to safeguard adults and children including procedures to follow and how to report and record information.

There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

Medicines were administered appropriately in line with medicine policies and procedures.

Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and knew how to support people using the principles of the Act.

People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and their requirements were detailed in their support plans.

Staff respected people’s wishes and encouraged people to be as independent as possible. They understood how to support people with regards to equality and diversity.

Assessments were undertaken to identify people’s support needs and support plans were developed outlining how these needs were to be met.

There was good engagement with community health and social care professionals who confirmed that staff had a positive approach, provided regular feedback and assisted them in delivering appropriate support for people using the service.